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Reviews tagging 'Drug use'
A Dark and Hollow Star – Nichts ist gefährlicher als ein Märchen by Ashley Shuttleworth
23 reviews
biancas_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Let's start with what I loved about this book: I loved loved LOVED how inclusive this book was! The inclusivity was shown in a very subtle way (pointing out that braille was an option, a character having different pronouns than he/she, just to name two examples). This really shows how easy it can be for authors to be more inclusive in their works.
Next to that, I also really loved how realistic the book was! Not only was the faerie world directly interwoven with the human world (whereas most of the time it is either a world completely different than ours or the faerie world is accessible through a portal), the characters also used stuff like human technology and referenced human culture (Dungeons & Dragons, Mario Party etc) quite a bit. My favorite and most realistic line though was Arlo having to pee in the middle of the showdown! That would so be me!
Now apart from that I have to say the book fell a little bit flat for me. A lot of it was really dragged out and could have been much shorter. A huge part of that were the chunks of world building that were dropped on the reader every once in a while. The world just kept getting bigger and bigger. Personally, I also didn't really feel like the characters were given much individuality, especially with Aurelian and Vehan (this could also be because we got way less chapters from their point of view; I actually wished there had been more equal distribution since most of the book was told from Arlo's perspective). Because of that I didn't quite make a connection with the characters.
Lastly, I wasn't the biggest fan of the whole storyline with the die Arlo was given; it felt a bit like a computer game?
However, the epilogue made me excited to see how the story continues. I really hope, the author gives the characters more depths in the sequel!
Next to that, I also really loved how realistic the book was! Not only was the faerie world directly interwoven with the human world (whereas most of the time it is either a world completely different than ours or the faerie world is accessible through a portal), the characters also used stuff like human technology and referenced human culture (Dungeons & Dragons, Mario Party etc) quite a bit. My favorite and most realistic line though was Arlo having to pee in the middle of the showdown! That would so be me!
Now apart from that I have to say the book fell a little bit flat for me. A lot of it was really dragged out and could have been much shorter. A huge part of that were the chunks of world building that were dropped on the reader every once in a while. The world just kept getting bigger and bigger. Personally, I also didn't really feel like the characters were given much individuality, especially with Aurelian and Vehan (this could also be because we got way less chapters from their point of view; I actually wished there had been more equal distribution since most of the book was told from Arlo's perspective). Because of that I didn't quite make a connection with the characters.
Lastly, I wasn't the biggest fan of the whole storyline with the die Arlo was given; it felt a bit like a computer game?
However, the epilogue made me excited to see how the story continues. I really hope, the author gives the characters more depths in the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Suicide
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I was in a slump when I started reading this. The sheer amount of infodumps and worldbuilding nearly put me off altogether. But I pushed through and I kept reading, and it never really got any better.
Part of it is probably due to this book being a debut. Big chunks could have easily been edited out and some sentences would have had much more punch if they’d been shortened to erase some of the purple prose. It’s not bad, but it’s distracting and a bit clunky.
I was slowly familiarizing myself with the character (although I still can barely tell Vehan from Aurelian), and then the whole D&D and seven sins things were dropped in and it was just too much. The whole faerie world was already big enough without including the sins in it. And the whole role play thing with the dice was too much. If you want to make a game type book, then make a game type book. Don’t just drop a role play element in the middle of a novel that had nothing to do with it until then.
I really wanted to enjoy this book (gay fairies in Canada, I mean come on!) but it fell flat for me. I don’t care enough about the characters to continue with the sequel, and the dice thing is just too weird for me anyways.
Part of it is probably due to this book being a debut. Big chunks could have easily been edited out and some sentences would have had much more punch if they’d been shortened to erase some of the purple prose. It’s not bad, but it’s distracting and a bit clunky.
I was slowly familiarizing myself with the character (although I still can barely tell Vehan from Aurelian), and then the whole D&D and seven sins things were dropped in and it was just too much. The whole faerie world was already big enough without including the sins in it. And the whole role play thing with the dice was too much. If you want to make a game type book, then make a game type book. Don’t just drop a role play element in the middle of a novel that had nothing to do with it until then.
I really wanted to enjoy this book (gay fairies in Canada, I mean come on!) but it fell flat for me. I don’t care enough about the characters to continue with the sequel, and the dice thing is just too weird for me anyways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Death
Minor: Body horror, Mental illness, Drug use, Grief, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
yvonne_cl's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
fthepatriarchy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
this book 😭😭 its 100% one of my new favourites. i had really high expectations for it and it definitely met them. arlo’s so fucking pure gn when she asked for a bathroom in the laboratory bc of the slushies she drank 😭 my heart. me too arlo. me too. also shes the most relatable mc i’ve seen, like yes not all heroes are gladly noble and endlessly brave. she’s strong as hell tho i wanna hug her.
nausicaä’s character development GAH i love her so bad?? n she looks so pretty on the front cover … HER AND ARLO’S KISS this is so unfair i needed to know what happened after they kissed. i feel robbed of a scene where arlo’s lying on her w nos stroking her hair. i want. so badly.
VEHAN my baby </3 THAT ONE SCENE w the psychic or wtv where he was spewing his true feelings 😭 like oh my god come here let me hug you. his mum’s such an asshole oh my god can i please adopt him. please.🥺
the mutual pining between vehan and aurelian near enough killed me. like pLEASE i need them to be able to be together in the next book. feeling so mfing bad for aurelian.
ALSO the amount of represntation … the nonbinary deity oh my god and nausicaä correcting people when they misgendered them 😭 AND THE HUNTER THAT USES NEOPRONOUNS. this is the first book ive come across w a character that uses neos and let me just say i fucking screamed.
im so so so excited for the next book omg 2022 can’t come fast enough </3
nausicaä’s character development GAH i love her so bad?? n she looks so pretty on the front cover …
VEHAN my baby </3
the mutual pining between vehan and
ALSO the amount of represntation … the nonbinary deity oh my god and nausicaä correcting people when they misgendered them 😭 AND THE HUNTER THAT USES NEOPRONOUNS. this is the first book ive come across w a character that uses neos and let me just say i fucking screamed.
im so so so excited for the next book omg 2022 can’t come fast enough </3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Cannibalism, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Domestic abuse
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"heroes went through so much hardship. heroes were the stuff of tragedies."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Gun violence, Body horror, Racism, and Emotional abuse
trilby's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Characters were engaging (if a little uninventive- great characters, just not notably unique characters), writing was good, overall tone was easygoing and relaxing without being boring, worldbuilding and magic system was thought out and interesting, and I was very invested in the story. The author is pansexual and genderfluid and the queer representation is very well done. Both main romance plotlines were queer, and they were very present without being the focus of the book. The book started out a bit slow and boring but picked up speed quickly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Gore, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Trafficking, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Violence
alibader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year which is what makes this especially disappointing. The plot and pacing were all over the place, it felt as though the story didn't really start until 300 pages in and the beginning was very slow. The ending felt rushed and several moments throughout I found myself rereading a chapter because things weren't explained.
The only aspect that saved this book and makes me want to pick up the sequel is the characters, I thought they were very entertaining to read about and the romantic buildup was well written.
The only aspect that saved this book and makes me want to pick up the sequel is the characters, I thought they were very entertaining to read about and the romantic buildup was well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Stalking, Trafficking, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Grief and Gun violence
Minor: Body horror, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Suicide, and Vomit
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow, I loved this book so so much!
I was immediately hooked by Nausicaa's point of view. She is so sarcastic and absolutely hilarious, but also super passionate! I love her so much. And then there were a bunch of other pov's I also loved! Arlo, Vehan, Aurelian! There are so many interesting characters in this book!
The plot is also great. There is a lot going on, but it comes together super well and it isn't hard to follow at all. There is enough mystery to really be left on the edge of your seat!
I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to this one!
I was immediately hooked by Nausicaa's point of view. She is so sarcastic and absolutely hilarious, but also super passionate! I love her so much. And then there were a bunch of other pov's I also loved! Arlo, Vehan, Aurelian! There are so many interesting characters in this book!
The plot is also great. There is a lot going on, but it comes together super well and it isn't hard to follow at all. There is enough mystery to really be left on the edge of your seat!
I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Gore, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Drug use
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I love Fae and Greek mythology, so when I realized this was going to give me Tisiphone and the High Court all in one book I was intrigued. Ultimately I’m stopping because it feels like it’s trying to do too much, and by trying to remember the many characters and track the complex blend of two already massive paradigms/pantheons... it got to be overwhelming. The Furies are great, and the Furies plus the Faerie Courts would be really cool, but the Furies, the Greco-Roman creation myth, complex systems for inheritance, political machinations, a serial murderer (or murderers), and the marginalization of the faeries (which are different from the Fae), and the persecution of the Ironborn (which could variously be considered Fae, Faerie, or human?)... it’s a lot. It would be a lot for even a trilogy to establish gradually, it begs for the room to have major details conveyed simply at first and then expanded, distorted, and recontextualized over the course of two books minimum. You can do really cool narrative things with “knowing” something then finding out your information was wrong and it changes how you think about what came before. Here things were established, rebutted, and adjusted so quickly I’m not even sure if they were supposed to be changes at all. I made it just over a third of the way through and I feel overwhelmed by the world and underwhelmed by the plot.
My one regret by not finishing this is I won’t know how things resolve for Tisiphone, but there’s too much extraneous stuff around her very interesting backstory for me to get fully into this one thing I like.
My one regret by not finishing this is I won’t know how things resolve for Tisiphone, but there’s too much extraneous stuff around her very interesting backstory for me to get fully into this one thing I like.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Body horror and Suicide
Full CWs provided from the Author’s Note. TWs may be incomplete. CW for anger, arson, blood/gore, body horror (minor), death of a child, depression, disownment, divorce, drug use/addiction, grief/grieving, human trafficking, poverty, psychopathy, stalking, suicide (past, off-page), suicidal ideation, toxic relationship/manipulation, trauma/PTSD, racism, violence/gun violence. TW for Harry Potter reference (page 169).irlchaosdemon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny